Los Angeles Unified students will return to classrooms Wednesday, Aug. 12, as the district points to continued academic gains, while families and educators begin the new school year amid concerns over immigration enforcement, environmental safety and financial pressures that could reshape schools.
Superintendent Andrés Chait has emphasized a renewed focus on “schoolhouse” as the center of the district’s decision making. Ahead of the first day of school, district officials have also been reaching out to families through a series of events, including home visits aimed at boosting attendance and welcoming students back.
An LAUSD spokesperson said Friday that the district’s priorities include student safety and well-being, strong academic outcomes and continued investments in mental health and student supports, while maintaining a focus on attendance and college and career readiness.
“Our biggest challenge, and our greatest opportunity, is sustaining that momentum,” the spokesperson said. “Our students have made significant academic gains over the past several years, and the bar is now higher.”
For Nicolle Fefferman, an LAUSD parent and longtime teacher, the new school year brings transitions both at home and in the classroom. Her children are entering their senior year of high school and eighth grade, while she is returning to teach at Van Nuys High School.
“We are looking forward to seeing friends and digging into a new school year,” Fefferman said.
But she is also returning with concerns.
“First and foremost, we are worried about safety,” said Fefferman, who’s also a cofounder of the parent advocacy group Parents Supporting Teachers.
She said continued federal immigration enforcement is harming communities and that LAUSD needs to continue its efforts to protect students and families.
Those concerns are also shaping preparations by school leaders and labor groups.
Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said school employees are familiar with district protocols governing interactions with federal immigration agents, while LAUSD continues offering weekly Know Your Rights workshops and preparedness resources for families.
She said the district’s Safe Passage program, in which community members help students travel safely to and from school, and community patrols could be particularly important because families may be more fearful of immigration enforcement on the way to and from campus than at school itself.
Ortiz Franklin said she hopes families understand that LA Unified, including its school police, does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
“We don’t permit officers onto campus or any federal agents without a warrant,” she said.
United Teachers Los Angeles President Gloria Martinez said the union, which represents LAUSD teachers, has spent the summer helping school leaders familiarize themselves with district immigration policies and prepare teams to respond if immigration agents appear.
“Our schools continue to be the safest place for students to be at during the day,” Martinez said. “This is a sanctuary district and a sanctuary city.”
Martinez said educators would be prepared to ensure the district adheres to its existing immigration policies.
Members of UTLA and community groups including Unión del Barrio and the Association of Raza Educators are also organizing patrols around schools and training volunteers to watch for immigration enforcement activity as students return to class.
Environmental safety is another concern as students return, particularly for communities near the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyles Heights.
LAUSD said 54 schools within three miles of the warehouse have received deep cleaning, air-conditioning filters have been replaced and air purifiers installed in classrooms. District officials said testing has found no evidence of hazardous conditions that would pose a risk to students or staff.
UTLA, however, sent the district a letter on Thursday seeking additional protections and greater transparency about cleanup and monitoring.
Martinez said the union wants a “very clear understanding of what they have done, what they have yet to do and what will be ongoing.”
She said the union is finding inconsistencies in the depth of cleaning at affected schools and wants to know whether campuses have enough replacement filters for HVAC systems and air purifiers if they need to be changed repeatedly. She also raised concerns about vermin, the removal of ash and soot from outdoor areas, and the cleaning of playground equipment and other surfaces.
In a statement Friday, an LAUSD spokesperson said the district had received UTLA’s letter and was reviewing it. The district said it has worked with public health, environmental and emergency-management agencies and that its protocols include inspections, air-quality monitoring, enhanced cleaning, HVAC inspections and filtration, as well as third-party environmental assessments when appropriate.
“We will continue to follow the guidance of public health experts and take any additional actions necessary to ensure our schools are safe for students and staff as we begin the school year,” the spokesperson said.
Beyond those immediate concerns, LAUSD is entering the year under substantial financial pressure as declining enrollment forces leaders to consider how to operate a system built for far more students.
In July, the Los Angeles County Office of Education placed LAUSD under heightened fiscal oversight after determining the district may be unable to meet its financial obligations in future years.
“The budget and school consolidations is going to be a real challenge,” Ortiz Franklin said.
She expects conversations about consolidating or reconfiguring campuses to begin this fall and said she wants them to focus not simply on what communities could lose, but what students might gain through new configurations or expanded academic programs.
Ortiz Franklin said those discussions will be difficult because many neighborhood schools have served generations of the same families.
“The concept of closing or consolidating or reconfiguring in a neighborhood school can just feel so emotional,” she said.
Martinez said UTLA recognizes that LAUSD needs to become more fiscally responsible but wants school-level staffing and services protected. She said the union believes the district should scrutinize outside contracts before reducing the educators, counselors and other employees serving students.
Fefferman also called for greater transparency around the district’s finances, including how LAUSD is spending money on contracts and staffing.
But for Fefferman, the uncertainties surrounding the coming year haven’t diminished the excitement of returning to the classroom. After nearly 20 years teaching in LAUSD, she spent the summer preparing to teach classes she has never taught before.
“I am super excited to meet new colleagues and teach students in my community,” she said.